On being, knowing and having a self

This paper(1) takes the distinction between being conscious ('core consciousness') and knowing that one is conscious (self-reflexive consciousness) as a starting point for differentiating between three different aspects of the self: 1) the overall process of psychosomatic being which we share with all living creatures and which expresses itself through action (self as totality), 2) the conscious awareness of knowing the self that is a peculiarly human phenomenon consequent on the development of symbolic imagination (sense of self including numinous experiences of the self) and 3) having a self (or soul) as an essential attribute of being human that can only be achieved through being endowed with a self in the mind of others (self-identity leading to the self as the centre of the personality). Some clinical implications of these distinctions are considered including the role of interpretation as fostering integration through the provision of alternative self-images, the loss of self-reflexive consciousness in states of overwhelming affect and the attack on the spontaneous psychosomatic being of the self in states of self-hatred and self-division.     

Preaching a Risen Christ of Resistance among "Captive" Americans

Abstract: In the midst of the current captivity of Americans to governmental policies which most of the rest of the world finds objectionable, what are the challenges facing those who preach? How can these be addressed biblically and theologically, grounded in what it means to be part of a global communion, and empowered by faith in the Resurrected Christ? How can preaching form faith communities through conversion, confession and conversation so that they might confront and change what is occurring, for the sake of the whole world?     

Frege and propositional unity

This paper identifies a tension in Frege’s philosophy and offers a diagnosis of its origins. Frege’s Context Principle can be used to dissolve the problem of propositional unity. However, Frege’s official response to the problem does not invoke the Context Principle, but the distinction between ‘saturated’ and ‘unsaturated’ propositional constituents. I argue that such a response involves assumptions that clash with the Context Principle. I suggest, however, that this tension is not generated by deep-seated philosophical commitments, but by Frege’s occasional attempt to take a dubious shortcut in the justification of his conception of propositional structure.     

Somaesthetics and Chinese Philosophy: Between Unity and Pragmatist Pluralism

Responding to three articles in a symposium dedicated to my research in somaesthetics, this paper explores a variety of themes connecting my theories with classical Chinese philosophy. The symposium topics discussed here range from the ontology of body-mind and world to the ethics of somaesthetic self-cultivation, and then to the somaesthetic meanings of our practices of erotics and of eating. The paper shows how the pragmatist orientation of somaesthetics reconciles values of unity with those of difference and how key ideas of somaesthetics intersect, in different ways, with both Confucian and Daoist thought.     

基础医学研究进展的还原论与系统论

从分子生物学、基因组学、蛋白质组学到糖组学,以还原论为哲学指导的医学研究已经取得了辉煌成果,与此同时,以系统论为哲学指导的系统生物学也日益受到关注,更被誉为新世纪生物学、医学研究的核心驱动力。还原论是系统论的基础和条件,而系统论则是还原论的归宿和终点,整个基础医学的研究进展经历了一场由还原论到系统论、再实现还原论与系统论辩证统一的演化过程。医学科学的发展历程闪耀着人类哲学理性思考的光辉,同时哲学思维也对医学研究进展做出了巨大的指导作用。     

《易纬·乾凿度》象数体例初探——以卦气说、爻辰说为例

《易纬·乾凿度》作为汉代《易纬》之中的首篇,集中反映了《易纬》往解与诠释《周易》的精神:一方面,其在卦气、爻辰等注《易》体例上展现着时代的痕迹;另一方面,其又有着丰富的自身特色,特别是其卦气之说对于孟、京的发挥,爻辰之说对于泰、否两卦的处理,都有着很好的研究价值.同时,通过解读《易纬》的文字,对于我们更好地认识西汉易学,亦有着十分重要的意义.     

良知与和谐社会建设

“致良知”是阳明学说的核心。“致良知”是他的宇宙论、道德论,也是其修养论。“致良知”对构建和谐社会有重要意义。如今中国社会出现了许多不和谐,人与人、人与社会、人与自然冲突、矛盾、对立,比比皆是。但归根到底是人自己与自己不和谐,即身心不和谐。为此,需要从阳明学中,吸取一些智慧“省察克治”,限制乃至祛除无限膨胀的私欲,抛弃消费主义,过勤俭生活。     

The Roman Catholic Church of Norway and migration challenges

Ever since its re-establishment in Norway in 1843, the Roman Catholic Church has grown steadily. On 1 January 2017, the church had a total membership of approximately 150,000. The reason for the latest, and certainly largest, wave of Catholic migrants to settle in Norway is labour migration resulting from the eastward expansion of the EU in 2004, when Poland and Lithuania joined. About half the Catholic population of Norway originates from these two countries. This article focuses on the following research question: How does the Roman Catholic Church in Norway, represented by sisters in religious communities, priests and ecclesiastical employees, respond to the large influx of Catholic migrants to Norway? The study is based on a qualitative survey consisting of semi-structured interviews with 10 informants, all religious sisters, priests or ecclesiastical employees. Although some informants admit that the strong growth resulting from migration has posed problems, such as tendencies to form ‘parallel congregations’ based on ethnic origin, most expressed a positive view of this influx of migrants and of the future of the Catholic Church in Norway.     

“I Stand in the Middle of the Ocean”

The challenge of climate change for the South Pacific Island of Kiribati demands a 21st‐century missional vision to help respond effectively to the hopes and fears of islanders. This article employs a “coconut theology” embedded within an Indigenous knowledge thought‐system and the daily cultural experiences of the Kiribati people. Using coconut theology as a qualitative method, this study views climate songs as a source of primary data. The songs are collected and analyzed through a thematic approach. The findings demonstrate that songs play a critical role in the Kiribati people’s culture, keeping their voice alive and helping them make sense of their experiences of climate change. Based on the findings, the article argues that climate change songs embody critical theologies that could help the church embrace Indigenous imagination in its search for contextual relevance and effective response to climate change.